Questionable Queen

by Nancy S. Brandt

  Was a marital alliance with Josiah any different than what she'd agreed to before? The Crown Prince was younger than Killian, closer to her own age. That was a point in favor of this. It was possible the two of them could grow into a relationship based on affection, if not love.

  Many successful marriages were built on less.

  "Clearly, you need time to think about this," Lord Dalrymple said, standing. "And, of course, you and the Prince should talk. We'll leave you now." He bowed and motioned to the other men.

  As they left her quarters, Veronica stayed behind.

  "Understand this, Ursula," the Grand Princess said, "I will always be the Queen Mother, with all the power that position holds. You would do well not to cross me."

  Ursula furrowed her brows and stared at Josiah's mother. "I'm not sure what you think marriage is about, Your Highness, but if I do agree to wed Josiah, and he is crowned King of Heyton, I will be the true Queen. Unless you can find a way to change the law, I will wear the crown and wield all the power that position holds."

  Veronica's face reddened, and she opened her mouth, but Josiah jumped to his feet.

  "Mother, the Queen and I have much to discuss. Why don't you go back to your apartment? I will talk to you later."

  "That woman—"

  "Now, please, Mother."

  Veronica looked at her son, and some silent communication must have passed between them because she took a step back, bowed her head to him, and left Ursula's chambers.

  Josiah turned back to Ursula and dropped into the chair he'd occupied before. "I'm sorry about this."

  She smiled, but the expression was more part of her perfect Princess, now Queen, persona rather than a reflection of how she felt. "I don't think you could have done anything about it. The Council recognizes the value of an alliance with a Chaos Sensitive. That is to their credit."

  "I suppose." He ran his hands through his hair and met her eyes. "I sent Cynara away."

  "I see." How did he want her to respond to that information?

  Josiah sighed. "I guess this gives us something in common. You had someone back in Valborough, didn't you?"

  "Yes. His name was George Evan, Margrave of Selwyn."

  "None of us can live the life we want, can we?" He leaned forward, his elbows to his knees.

  "Royals, you mean?" Ursula shook her head. "I don't think so. We always have to put the good of the kingdom before our own happiness." Thinking about her sister, she added, "Although, I suppose if we're very, very lucky or blessed by the Elements or something, sometimes our happiness and the good of the kingdom don't conflict much."

  "That's not the case here, though, is it?" He stared at the floor.

  His words set her on guard, although she could feel sadness and resignation from him, she wondered if this were a test or a trap.

  "Josiah, I have been in Heyton a short time and have seen little of the kingdom. It's not for me to say what is for the best for the people here."

  "But you agree with the Council."

  "I agree that keeping an alliance with Valborough makes sense, but I don't know if I agree that to do that you and I have to wed."

  He raised his head to look at her. "What do you mean?"

  She took a deep breath. "Mariana isn't looking to start another war with Heyton. She wants the prisoners released, as I do, and I think when that happens, it could go a long way to keeping peace between our two countries, regardless of whether you and I wed or not."

  "I see." He screwed up his expression as though considering what she'd said. "If the prisoners were all accounted for and released, you think Valborough would be open to a more permanent treaty of peace?"

  "Again, I can't speak for my sister. I am no longer part of her court, but I know she regrets the losses both Heyton and Valborough suffered in the war. She also wants our men to come home. If Heyton is looking for goodwill, that would be the best way to gain it. Better than marrying me."

  "Of course." He stood and bowed to her. "I will leave you now, Your Majesty. I have much to do."

  Veronica headed toward her apartment to wait for Josiah, where she planned to explain that while wedding Ursula was probably right for the kingdom, it was a dangerous idea to let her rule by his side as Queen. She was the sister of the Queen of Valborough. What was to stop her from acting in their interests instead of those of Heyton?

  Before the Grand Princess reached her home, her sister Delthyn, Gideon and Harriet's mother, came out of the shadows and stopped her.

  "Delthyn," Veronica cried. "Have you taken to lurking in hallways like a lesser noblewoman looking for romantic tryst?"

  The younger Princess grimaced. "Of course not. I was waiting for you. Tomorrow is Evangeline's birthday. I'm sure with all the preparations for the funeral and coronation, you've forgotten."

  Veronica would never forget. How could she, after everything that had happened?

  "I hadn't forgotten, but this year it didn't seem sensible to uproot the court after Killian's death."

  "I disagree," Delthyn said, shaking her head. "I think the family needs this time at the Shore Palace more than we ever have. With Killian and Evangeline gone, maybe we need to spend time together, to reconnect."

  Veronica wanted nothing less than to repeat this annual reminder of what happened over twenty years ago. When Evangeline and her child had been killed in that fire, their parents had taken the whole family to the Shore Palace to mourn in private.

  Delthyn hadn't even been there. She and Thomas had traveled, unexpectedly, to his sister's home in the Northern Forest. When news of the tragedy had reached them, they sent word that they were too distraught to return, and Delthyn had discovered that she was pregnant.

  It seemed ironic to Veronica that now Delthyn was the one insisting they all go to the Shore Palace in memory of their deceased siblings.

  However, maybe this would be a good opportunity for Josiah to get to know Ursula better. The thought of him marrying Killian's widow left a sour taste in Veronica's mouth, but having a Chaos Sensitive as an ally could prove useful in the future.

  "Perhaps you're right," she said after a moment. "The whole family should go to the Shore Palace."

  Tears filled Delthyn's eyes. "Evangeline would have wanted us all together. Killian, too."

  "I'm sure." Veronica embraced her sister, then watched as Delthyn hurried away.

  The Grand Princess's heart was pounding so hard when she went inside her sitting room that she feared her servants would see that something was amiss. Fortunately, the only person here was her husband, Duke Zebulon, and he would accept whatever explanation she gave. That is, if he even noticed at all.

  "We're going to the Shore Palace," she announced, pleased that her voice was strong and steady. "Go tell the maids to pack our things. Find out where Amara is and make sure she's ready when the family is."

  "Yes, Veronica. And Damien?"

  She sighed. "Find out what tavern wench he's chasing and drag him home."

  Zebulon nodded, then bowed. "I will find him." Her husband hurried from the room, as eager to be away from her as she was from him.

  When he left the apartment, she went to her dressing room, closed and locked the door, then dropped to the lounging sofa as cold sweat covered her forehead.

  Twenty-eight years ago, and she remembered it like it was yesterday.

  Josiah had been born three weeks earlier, and while the family had been happy to see another male infant, he was only the "other" Prince. Evangeline had given birth to a son, Carsten, six months before.

  It had been something of an unofficial race to see which of Killian's sisters would have a male child after Charlotte had lost both of hers in infancy. When Evangeline had her son, her father and mother had been relieved. The family line would continue, even if Charlotte had no more boys.

  After spending her whole adult life watching how her mother ruled Heyton, even though women were not allowed to sit on the High Throne, Veronica had believed that the injustice
of being born first but not being the heir would be redressed.

  However, she was not blind enough to put all of her trust in that. If she couldn't be Queen in truth, then she'd be the Queen Mother and rule indirectly.

  So, she waited. When Carsten had been born, she knew the Elements had cheated her again. Carsten would be Killian's heir if Charlotte was unable to give him a boy child.

  Then, Josiah appeared, and Veronica's plan crystalized even before she held her son for the first time. He would sit on the High Throne of Heyton, no matter what it took.

  So, she waited again. Her chance came sooner than she anticipated. Evangeline's husband had died of a horrifying lung disease right after her pregnancy had been confirmed, leaving the Princess in a fragile emotional state. Only the baby she carried kept her from taking her own life.

  When Carsten was six months old, Evangeline announced to the court that she was taking him to Swellhaven, the largest land colony controlled by the Anamii. Everett, her late husband, had been the grandson of an Anamii royal, and Carsten, therefore, was royal on both sides. Evangeline wanted the Water Folk to know her son.

  Veronica had been happy to see her go. That Evangeline had married one of them was offensive enough. Had things remained the way they were, a fish would've sat on the throne of Heyton, and Veronica would sooner have died than let that happen.

  That's when she conceived the plan.

  Evangeline had made arrangements to stay at a hotel owned by friends of Queen Verity's family. She and the baby would be accompanied by guards, of course, but that wasn't a problem. Veronica made sure that most of the King's guards were loyal to her.

  It was a simple matter for an accidental fire to start after midnight when both the Princess and her son were asleep.

  Everything went according to plan, except Evangeline was supposed to survive. No matter how ambitious Veronica was, and how much she wanted to rule Heyton, she loved her sister and never in a million years, as the Elements were her witness, had she expected that Evangeline would die trying to save her child.

  Tears ran down Veronica's cheeks but she rubbed them away. That was all in the past, and Carsten's and Evangeline's amulets, supposedly destroyed in the fire, were tucked away in a secret compartment of her own jewelry box.

  Chapter 28

  Gideon waited until he saw Josiah leave Ursula's room, but by that time he was curious as to what was going on. First the Council of Ministers, along with Aunt Veronica, had come out. Ursula's maid told Gideon that Exarch Josiah was still with the Queen, but she couldn't say what they were talking about.

  Probably nothing he needed to worry about, Gideon decided. She couldn't be certain what had happened to her in Killian's chambers, and the last person she'd go to for advice was Josiah.

  At least, that was what Gideon hoped.

  As soon as his cousin had disappeared around a corner, Gideon knocked on Ursula's door.

  Rebecca, the Queen’s Lady of the Wardrobe, ushered him into Ursula's sitting room. The Queen looked tired, and she stared at something he couldn't see in the middle of the far wall.

  "Your Majesty, Prince Gideon has come to see you," Rebecca said, touching Ursula's shoulder.

  With a deep sigh, she faced him. "Thank you, Rebecca. Will you please get us some tea? I could use a cup."

  "Nothing for me," Gideon said. "Thank you." He settled himself on a chair near her. "How are you feeling?"

  She blinked for a moment, then nodded. "After what happened in the King's quarters, you mean. I'm fine. No lasting effects, it seems."

  He scowled. "Has something else happened?"

  "Nothing we need to worry about right now. What brings you here to see me?"

  "I wanted to talk about what happened in Killian's rooms. You felt the emotions, didn't you?"

  "I felt...something," she said, "but it was all so intense and complicated, I don't know what exactly I felt."

  He nodded. "The first time I felt the emotions of a place that is how it was. It was as though a wave had slammed into me and forced me to the bottom of a deep ocean. Only because my mother was there was I able to get out of the room before I lost consciousness."

  "Where was that?"

  "The family chapel," he said. "Grandfather had passed, and we all went in with Grandmother. Mother and Father took me outside and made me sit under a tree for a while. They went back inside to comfort her before we left her there."

  The memory of that day was as clear to him as what he'd had for breakfast that morning. Harriet had shown no signs of feeling anything untoward when she visited the chapel.

  "My father is Water Sensitive, but he felt nothing," Gideon said. "His Ability isn't strong, although he can soothe anxiety or fear in the people he loves."

  "That would be a nice manifestation of the Sensitivity," Ursula said. "Have you been back to the chapel since? To go inside, I mean?"

  "I went back the next day. I had to know if I could separate out the different threads of emotion, understand what it all meant."

  "Did it mean anything? I would think as a place of burial, there would only be sadness and grief, no underlying meaning."

  "Mostly that was what it was, but I was surprised to also feel relief and joy and fear and satisfaction. The death of a sovereign, or a family member for that matter, can cause all sorts of emotions, not all of them expected."

  Ursula nodded. "I suppose that's true. Feelings are complicated, even when they're not all jumbled up in one room."

  Gideon took a deep breath and leaned closer to her. "I would like you to go back to the King's chambers with me. I think Uncle Killian did not die from some heart ailment. I think someone wanted him dead."

  When Ursula responded, she did so as though considering her words before she said them. "He was the King of a fairly powerful kingdom. Wouldn't it be surprising if no one wanted him dead?"

  "Of course, but to feel that desire in his private chambers suggests that the person who hated him was someone close to him," Gideon said. "Close enough to be welcome in the King's quarters."

  "That rules out a random stranger." She leaned back in the chair. "Gideon, do you realize what you're suggesting?"

  "I do, and it's troubling to think that someone in the family could be a murderer."

  Ursula shook her head. "It doesn't have to be family. I'm sure there are advisors or members of the King's Council who have been in his quarters."

  "But would someone outside the family have benefited from his death?"

  "Possibly." Ursula shrugged. "Was there a vocal opposition to his policies?"

  "He was only King for five months before he died." Gideon's thoughts drifted toward one person who benefited above all others, but he couldn't voice his suspicions. Not yet. "He hadn't had time to establish any of his own policies. He was only carrying out those of Grandmother Verity, and she was well loved by the people."

  "Perhaps his death was from natural causes," she said, but he heard the doubt in her voice. "Maybe we're chasing shadows."

  "I hope that is the case, but I want to find out for sure. If there is a murderer in the palace, we need to know."

  The carriage clattered to a halt on a circular drive in the center of a grouping of houses. Ursula had begun to doze as the afternoon sun poured through the windows, but when they'd rolled through the big iron gates at the bottom of the hill, she'd come awake and watched the scenery as they approached the Shore Palace.

  Five identical buildings surrounded a courtyard where the royal family's carriages now assembled. Each dwelling was as large as or larger than a typical manor house Ursula was familiar with.

  The front of each building displayed three rows of eighteen windows, but Ursula could see two more levels at the corners and in the center of the main part of the construction. Servants stood in two neat rows at the front door of each house.

  Josiah approached Ursula. "My grandfather had the Shore Palace constructed when he and grandmother got married. This house..." He pointed to the building
in front of the carriages. "...was the first one built. It's referred to as the King's Cottage."

  Then he pointed to each of the other four in turn.

  "Uncle Killian and Aunt Charlotte lived in that one. Then my parents. Next Aunt Evangeline and her family, and Aunt Delthyn and Uncle Thomas."

  "Delthyn and your mother don't talk much, do they?" Ursula asked. Princess Delthyn was rarely seen in the palace hallways, and she wasn't included in any of the official meetings that Ursula had been to.

  "Mother feels strongly that we, as the royal family, have a responsibility to keep the bloodline strong." Josiah stared out through the buildings toward the sea. "I think her ideas have some merit."

  "What are her ideas?"

  Josiah sighed. "She feels that if someone is not fully... normal...perhaps that person shouldn't be considered royal."

  Disbelief caused Ursula to frown. She couldn't be hearing his words right. "How would that happen?"

  The Prince rubbed his hands together. "Well, she has tried to convince the Ministers' Council to strip anyone who is unfit of their rank. Taking them away from the palace and their families probably would be the next step."

  Ursula stared at him, horrified. "She would take children away from their families if she decided they were unfit?" Mariana's face flashed into her mind. Her parents had convinced the entire kingdom that Mariana was unworthy to be considered a true Princess because of her perceived lack of Elemental Abilities.

  At least, as far as Ursula knew, no one had ever suggested Mariana be sent away.

  "The Council listened to her proposal, but Grandfather refused to discuss it. This was right after Gideon was born, and the physicians recognized that his physical...deficiencies would probably keep him from becoming a warrior."

  He rubbed the back of his neck. "I was little so I don't remember much, and of course, Mother didn't talk to me about it, but I think Aunt Delthyn and Duke Thomas had come back to the palace after living with his family for a few years. Mother knew that, if things were different, Gideon could end up on the throne."

  "And that would be a tragedy?" Ursula didn't try to hide the disgust in her voice. "My sister was considered unfit to even be called a Princess, and now she is Queen. She's a good Queen, too."